Wines

2013 will be difficult for red Bordeaux, but the dry whites (like this one) excelled with that perfect blend of ripe fruit and vigorous, juicy, acids. The 2013 edition of our best-selling Bordeaux Blanc ever delivers on the promise of the vintage. It opens with its usual generous scents of white pineapple, honeysuckle, and orange zest. The 100% Sauvignon Blanc fruit delivers more of the same on the palate plus a bit of firm green melon, tangerine, and a bite of citrus pith and oil. A tad more elegant and fresh than the 2012, it's even more a great all-purpose white for parties, salads, fish, or just sipping on a warm afternoon.

The brothers-in-law who make MAN wines grow most of the Sauvignon Blanc for this wine in high-altitude vineyards of the Agter-Paarl sub-region of South Africa’s Stellenbosch. Strong winds blow through the vineyards most every day, leading to the name “Warrelwind” (or Whirlwind in English). And there’s certainly a Warrelwind of aroma and flavor in this delicious South African Sauvignon Blanc!

Big, fruity, aromas of red grapefruit, berry, and green apple jump from the glass with just the right touch of Sauvignon’s signature fresh cut grass for complexity. The flavors are wildly complex – Ruby Red grapefruit, green apple, honeydew melon, and a touch of something tropical take center stage with savory accents of lime peel and fresh grass. A touch of Semillon (10%) and regular lees stirring gives this a bit of extra body and rounds off Sauvignon’s rough edges, but the finish is juicy, mouthwatering, and fresh. A good deal more sophistication and complexity than you’d expect for this fine value price!

"The 2014 Warrelwind Sauvignon Blanc has a clean and fresh bouquet that leans more towards the tropical rather than herbaceous spectrum of aromas. The palate is well balanced with citrus lemon, grapefruit and touches of peach towards the focused finish. Good quality at a great price."Wine Advocate 88 points

Allan Scott makes this cheerful (and cheap!) Sauvignon Blanc for a local distributor, and it's one of those unexpected winners that punch well above their weight. Generous and fresh aromas of orange blossom, tangerine, and pink grapefruit lead to a zippy, crisp, mouthful of melon and citrus fruit with just a touch of fresh cut grass. Fun and very tasty.

This is yet another in a long line of fantastic Sauvignon Blancs from the good folks at Honig. This blend of 96% Sauvignon Blanc, 1% Muscat and 3% Semillon has lovely aromas of orange blossom and grapefruit are accompanied by lemon, melon, peach and nectarine flavors that are ripe, juicy and refreshing. Medium bodied with a crisp, refreshing, slightly minerally finish. Just delicious stuff!

Basically a “baby Sancerre”, this exciting young Sauvignon Blanc is grown on the same chalky slate soils you’ll find across Sancerre from 10-40 year-old vines, fermented in stainless steel and allowed to rest 3 months on the fine lees. The vineyard is located just outside the legal boundary of Sancerre, but the flavors make you feel right in the middle!

As in the past, generous, fresh, aromas of fresh flowers, just cut grass, white grapefruit, and a hint of wet stones burst from the glass. Then you’ll find a tad more richness and zest to the crisp citrus and green apple fruit, tangy gooseberry, and fresh grass. As the refreshing acidity wells up to make your mouth water, a bit of Sancerre’s trademark “gun flint” character shows underneath the juicy bright fruit. There’s a wonderful rich/brisk, sweet/sour contrast in this wine that will delight and fascinate with every sip. Served cold, it’s thirst quenching and refreshing. Let it warm up a touch and it’s layered, complex, and a fantastic match for seafood, fresh vegetables, and – of course – goat cheese.

From cool, high-altitude, vineyards at the base of the Andes, this Sauvignon Blanc delivers plenty of ripeness balanced by juicy, fresh, citrusy acidity. Aromas of white grapefruit, melon, orange zest and fresh grass carryout over to a big mouthful of juicy, zesty, flavors and mouthwatering acidity. Drink it cold by the pool or let it warm up a bit and enjoy with salad, poultry, or cheese.

"For the price, this is remarkably concentrated, with ample weight and intense flavors. It’s more subdued on the nose, offering just hints of stuck flint and grapefruit, but the citrusy flavors surge forward, culminating in a long, grapefruity finish."Wine Enthusiast 90 points

The new release of this certified sustainable New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc once again delivers plenty of Kiwi character with a little extra complexity and focus - possibly from 10% Riesling co-fermented with the Sauvignon! Juicy, bright, and vivacious with generous flavors of pink grapefruit, passion fruit, lemon, lime, and fresh grass. There's a nice minerality on the mouthwatering finish. Generous, but nicely in control, this will be just as at home on the table as it is by itself on the back deck.

The name - Mmm - pretty much says it all here. This is crackling, pure, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc in a Pouilly Fuisse style (but at a very nice VDP price). Loads of flinty mineral aromas and flavors over white grapefruit and lemon fruit that build in intensity towards the finish. The white grapefruit, lime, and gunflint flavors really pop on the long, mouthwatering, finish. Take a sip: Mmm is what you'll say!

A classic, bracing, Sancerre. Clear and generous aromas of white grapefruit and fresh grass and flint carry through the the palate where the wine starts zippy, turns round, and then finishes with excellent cut and acidity. Plenty of flint and grapefruit flavors from start to finish in this clean, well delineated, traditionally-styled Sancerre.

Always one of Marlborough's best Sauvignon Blancs, the 2013 is another classic. Less tutti-fruity and more savory and food friendly.

"The 2014 Sauvignon Blanc opens with an incredible intensity of zingy lemon and gooseberry scents with nuances of flint, baker’s yeast and gravel. Medium-bodied with lovely texture, oodles of citrus and stony flavors and a racy acid line, it finishes with fantastic length."Wine Advocate 91 points

Classic Sauvignon Blanc from Chavignol, the home village of Henri Bourgeois. You’ll find all the classic Sancerre aromas and flavors here – white citrus, fresh grass, lime skin, gun flint – in a ripe wine that has plenty of amplitude but also terrific balancing cut and vibrancy. A terrific example of the rounder, style of Sancerre from Chavignol and ready to enjoy now with or without food.

"Fume" - or "smoke" - is the signature of snappy Sauvignon Blanc grown on the Kimmeridgian soils laced with red flint from just across the Loire River from Sancerre. This is a classic, with aromas and flavors of white grapefruit, lemon, green melon, and Granny Smith Apple and plenty of minerally, smoky, "gun flint" character. Delicious on its own, but better still with freshwater fish or warm goat cheese salad.

Delivers a more cool-climate expression of Sauvignon Blanc than you'll find in most of Sonoma. Lemon, white peach, sage and cut grass aromas and flavors course through the wine with just a hint of white grapefruit. Vibrant, focused, and mouthwatering on the finish with a hint of smoky minerality (half the wine aged in barrel). Big and flavorful but still nicely refreshing.

One of the most delicious NZ Sauvignon Blancs we've tried in a while and a bargain for what's in the bottle. Fantastic aromas of tropical fruit and citrus with fresh grass on top. In the mouth, richly fruited - citrus, melon, apple, passion fruit - with an extra gear of smoky complexity from skillfully used oak. Finishes mouthwatering and fine. If you like Cloudy Bay, you'll love this more.

We're not really fans of Italian Sauvignon Blanc and are pretty suspicious of SB from anywhere that's had a lot of skin contact or time in oak. And yet we simply could not resist Rovero's Piemonte Sauvignon that was made exactly that way. The organic grapes and careful winemaking give complex accents of wood smoke, warm stones, and crushed herb to the beautifully pure, fresh, flavors of white grapefruit, peach, and green apple. The texture is almost creamy but the finish vibrant and long. A very sexy Sauvignon.

From the heart of Chavignol, this is a stunning bottle for fans of crushed herb, taut citrus, and lots and lots of gunflint minerality. But, it’s also for anyone who loves generous yellow/white fruit (think peaches and lime) and length on the palate and finish. Super delicious Sancerre.

“Hugely herbaceous, this is a crisp, mineral-driven wine that’s so fresh and fruity at the same time, with bright stone fruit and citrus character. Textured with a nervy acidity and a steely core, it could age to round out its corners.”Wine Enthusiast 92 points

“Vincent Delaporte’s 2013 Sancerre shows a wonderful combination of exuberant fruit and the distinctive herbal snap of Loire Sauvignon. It offers lemon, grapefruit and green apple fruit scents are followed by hints of honeysuckle and fresh herbs. The flavors of mouthwatering citrus and apple fruits are backed by subtle floral and herbal hints.”WRO 90 points